Natasha Naragon

Natasha Naragon (’00) grew up in Northwest Arkansas and graduated from Rogers High School. She decided on Hendrix College after attending Arkansas Governor’s School there as a rising senior. While at Hendrix, Natasha served as News Editor and Reporter for The Profile, worked at KATV Channel 7 News as a Production Assistant, and interned at Paschall Strategic Communications as a Public Relations Assistant. In 2000, she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Politics with distinction in her major and a minor in Gender Studies. Upon graduation, Natasha worked for U.S. Representative Vic Snyder as a District Aide and as Press Secretary and District Scheduler. Next, Natasha managed a family-owned franchise. Currently, she is doing archival work for The Butler Center for Arkansas Studies. In this position, Natasha collects and preserves primary sources of Arkansas’s history so that future generations can easily access and learn from them.

What was the most memorable course you took at Hendrix? My most influential course at Hendrix was one with a somewhat unexciting title: American Political Thought. Boy, was I wrong! The thought-provoking readings, engaging discussions, and challenging assignments made the course come alive for me. It really got me thinking about America and politics, i.e. who has the power in our government and society, how did/can this power shift over time, what is the ideal America and how does that differ with the real America, who are we as Americans, and how did we arrive at our identity—what assumptions and beliefs are the foundation for our own unique ideology?

What made it memorable?The practicality of the course appealed to me as well. Much to his credit, Jay made this course very meaty, concrete, and real. He demonstrated, through selected readings from the Puritans to the present, precisely how certain ideas shaped our society, for better and for worse. Knowledge of how these concepts such as populism, elitism, social Darwinism, social justice, and identity politics have impacted our country is vital for anyone seeking to understand America and to influence her future.